1. Field of the invention
The present invention generally relates to a terminal system having a video telephone equipment cooperating with a computer system such as a personal computer (PC), and more particularly to a terminal system having a video telephone equipment cooperating with a computer system, which simultaneously communicates dynamic/static images and sounds to those in remote stations so that remote audio and video communications are performed.
2. Description related art
FIG. 1 shows a conventional video telephone system. In FIG. 1, stations A and B are provided with video telephone equipments 100 which are coupled to each other by an ISDN line. Each of the video telephone equipments 100 has a controller 110 with a processor, a telephone unit 3, a display unit 4 and a TV camera unit 5. The telephone unit 3, the display unit 4 and the TV camera unit 5 are coupled to the controller 110 so as to be controlled thereby. When each of the video telephone equipments 100 in the stations A and B receives audio signals and image signals transmitted from the other party station, the audio signals and the image signals are respectively converted into sounds and visualized images by telephone unit 3 and the display unit 4 controlled by the controller 110. Voices and images of a speaker are respectively converted into audio signals and image signals by the telephone unit 3 and the TV camera unit 5 controlled by the controller 5 and are transmitted to the other party station.
Each of the video telephone equipment 100 is constituted as shown in, for example, FIG. 2.
Referring to FIG. 2, the controller 100 has a processor 2 (MPU), a memory 13, a communication unit 15 and an image display controller 19, and these parts of the controller 100 are coupled to each other by a processor bus 7. The display unit 4 (CRT) and the TV camera unit 5 are connected to the image display controller 19, and the telephone unit 3 is connected to the communication unit 15 which is connected to the telecommunication line (the ISDN line).
The processor 2 is a micro-processor, and the memory 13 is formed of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory) and the like. The communication unit 15 intermediates between the telecommunication line and the telephone unit 3 and between the processor bus 7 and the telecommunication line in accordance with instructions from the processor 2. The image display controller 19 controls the display unit 4 and the TV camera unit 5 in accordance with instructions supplied from the processor 2 via the processor bus 7. The TV camera unit 5 takes pictures and outputs image signals corresponding to the pictures. Dynamic image signals or static image signals are generated, by the image display controller 19, based on the output signals of the TV camera unit 5. The dynamic image signals or the static image signals are output to the telecommunication line and transmitted to the other party station via the telecommunication line. When the dynamic image signals or the static image signals transmitted from the other party station is received by the video telephone equipment 100, the display unit 4 displays images corresponding to the dynamic image signals or the static image signals.
The telephone unit 3 is constituted by a handset 3-3 and a telephone body 3-4. The handset 3-3 is connected to the communication unit 15 of the controller 2 via the telephone body 3-4. The handset 3-3 converts the voice of the speaker into audio signals and the audio signals are supplied to the telecommunication line via the telephone body 3-4 and the communication unit 15. The handset 3-3 also outputs sound corresponding to audio signals supplied from the telecommunication line via the communication unit 15 and the telephone body 3-4. The telephone body 3-4 selects a link used for communication and intermediates between the handset 3-3 and the communication unit 15. In the telephone body 3-4, a dialing operation to call the other party station is carried out using ten-keys or a function key specifying the other party station. Then the link is selected and the communication can be carried out with other party station via the handset 3-3.
In the video telephone system described above, the voice of the speaker is converted into audio signals by the telephone unit 3, the audio signal is transmitted from the controller 2 to that in the other party station via the telecommunication line (the ISDN line). In the other party station, the audio signal received by the controller 2 is converted into sound by the telephone unit 3. In addition, dynamic image signals or static signals corresponding to pictures taken by the TV camera unit 5 are transmitted from the controller 2 to that in the other party station along with the above audio signal via the telecommunication line. In the other party station, images corresponding to the dynamic signals or the static signals received by the controller 2 are displayed by the display unit 4.
Each of the conventional video telephone equipments 100 described above is not coupled to a computer system such as a personal computer (PC). Thus, data processed in the computer system cannot be transmitted to the remote station by utilizing the video telephone equipment 100. In addition, composite images composed of images corresponding to data processed in the computer system and images corresponding to image signals processed in the video telephone equipment cannot be obtained.